An Excerpt From Bob Mulligans Book
Part 1 of 2
“ When the rays of the sun are made to pass through a prism , they get dispersed and become separate owing to refraction . If each of these rays had consciousness , it would consider itself as being separate from the other rays , forgetting entirely that at source and on the other side of the prism it had no separate existence . . .” - Meher Baba Discourses Vol . I page 37
During my first year of practice as an astrologer while I was living in Chicago , I had a most unusual experience . My phone rang at 3 am . A client at the other end of the line had just awakened suddenly in the middle of a dream . She decided that since I was her astrologer , of course I would want to know about her dream . Immediately . This wasn ’ t an emergency mind you . She just thought I would find the information useful . Unbelievable . Because she felt my deep genuine concern for her in our session , it never occurred to her calling me was crossing a boundary . I listened to her dream but asked her not to call again in the middle of the night . I needed to find out about boundaries , and establish some with my clients , so I could provide a working environment for them to safely and effectively get what they needed , while at the same time maintaining some separation between my professional and personal lives . As powerful as astrology is ,
its benefits as a tool of human development are lost unless we can adhere to some basic defining behaviors .
‘ Boundaries ’ is a term describing the duality necessary for illusion to exist . If we deny the benefit of recognizing that life is characterized by facing boundaries and using them for our advantage , then we are denying the basic structure of creation . In its most simple and basic sense , life ’ s primary boundary is the self ; the I , me , my , and mine of the ego . Without this “ I ” we lack the ability to distinguish ourselves from others . Without this there can be no sense of the individuality and uniqueness necessary for meaningful communication . All relationships by definition assume some primary sense of self . The greater our sense of self , the more we can communicate and share with others . Paradoxically , self is necessary for communication with others , which in turn , leads to a greater feeling of oneness with others . It is during moments of union when the boundaries of self are transcended .
Astrologers usually think of this paradox of unity and diversity of self as the interplay of Neptune ( as the symbol of infinite oneness of reality ) and Saturn ( as the symbol of all finite and defining limitations ). Because astrology can be a spiritual path for the astrologer , it is necessary to understand the inverse ratio of fear ( Saturn ) and faith ( Neptune ). As the fear side of Saturn strengthens , the faith side of Neptune weakens . As faith goes up , fear goes down . Boundaries are a pure Saturn principle . Boundaries are the principle of differentness . Acknowledging , then working within our differences allows the astrologer / client relationship to become a positive growth factor in each other ’ s lives . When discipline and patience ( Saturn ) are used correctly , the astrologer climbs a ladder of empathetic bonding ( Neptune ) with the client to achieve union or direct knowledge of the real self .
When we think of boundaries we usually conjure up a picture of what we can ’ t do . Some form of limitation comes to mind . We think that a constructive use of boundaries is to accept them , then to look and see what can be done within them in order to have a fulfilling life . Physical mortality is a limit or boundary , what we would call a natural boundary , like the land mass of a continent . However , some boundaries are self created , like deciding how long a session should last . These limits are created out of what we feel we should do .
Boundaries that we as astrologers create are limits and measurements our understanding imposes on our behavior , thereby strengthening our role in our clients ’ lives . ( e . g . Limiting access [ CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 ]
O P A ❥ The O rganization for Professional Astrology 8 T H E C A R E E R A S T R O L O G E R S P R I N G 2 0 1 3